Maniscalco Architecture

San Francisco

Global Perspective: We’ve sensed a natural affinity between Maniscalco’s work and the Bocci 14 pendant light, and the San Francisco-based architect agrees. “The individual globes have a handcrafted quality,” he says. “It works from close up and far away, and it’s got a really nice, organic feel that reinforces the clean lines of my architecture.” Bocci, bocci.ca

Framed Art: Based near Seattle, Quantum builds custom, all-wood and clad windows and doors—including the Slide & Fold door system, which permits openings up to 42 feet wide. Maniscalco made an assembly of the company’s sliding doors and windows the centerpiece of the Cube House in San Francisco, shown. “They’ve got extremely clean profiles and a rich palette of materials,” he says. Quantum Windows & Doors, quantumwindows.com

Impenetrable: Many of Maniscalco’s clients are interested in white kitchen counters, but white natural stone tends to be too porous for the job, he says. PentalQuartz’s Super White, a quartz composite bonded with polyester resins, gives Maniscalco the look he wants without the staining issues. “It’s the purest white we’ve been able to find,” he says. “It has a beautiful, luminescent quality.” PentalQuartz, pentalquartz.com

Tall Timber: A family business founded in 1898, Dinesen specializes in oak and Douglas fir flooring milled in Denmark, from trees that are 80 to 200 years old. “They’re giant boards,” says Maniscalco, who has used the fir in 12-inch-wide planks up to 18 feet long. “They make very organic-feeling floors.” Sales are handled in Denmark by consultants who speak several languages, including English. Dinesen, dinesen.com

Credit: Casey Dunn

Line of Fire: Gas fireplaces don’t burn wood, so why put logs in them? Spark “takes that idea and plays on it,” Maniscalco says. The company’s direct-vent and vent-free models work in existing fireplaces, stand-alone installations, indoors, outdoors, and with virtually any imaginable custom surround. Maniscalco is fond of the 6-foot-long Fire Ribbon. “The definitive linear quality makes a huge impact in a modern composition,” he says. Spark Fires, sparkfires.com

Pinup: Vin de Garde can supply an oenophile’s every need, from cooling systems to complete custom cellars. Maniscalco gives top marks to the Nek-Rite storage system, which supports bottles on stainless steel pins that project from a fixed wall panel available in wood and powdercoat finishes. “It allows the bottles to be displayed almost as art,” he says. Vin de Garde, vindegarde.ca

Rock On: Houston-based Maiden Stone works with an international network of quarries and fabricators to supply finished stone for architectural and landscape applications. Maniscalco frequently uses the Carmel Cream split-face limestone in a thin veneer. “It’s a godsend for us,” he says. “It brings a natural, earthbound element to modern projects. The texture gives a strong contrast to all the clean lines we’re generating.” For a dark stone, he likes the Black Conte basalt in a burnished finish. Maiden Stone, maiden-stone.com

Wish List

5318 VIVIENDA EN SANTA BARBARA. GODELLA. VALENCIA

Credit: FERNANDO ALDA

Fine Line: In dubbing its glazing system the Invisible Wall, Vitrocsa may be stretching the truth, but not by much. The aluminum alloy frames around its sliding, pivoting, and guillotine units are only ¾ inch wide. Panel sizes up to 200 square feet are available, and the company has supplied sliding units up to 15 feet tall. “That’s my dream product,” Maniscalco says. “Absolutely zero sight lines anywhere. It’s spectacularly minimal.” Vitrocsa USA, vitrocsa.com